Flight Shooting
The attempt in every test was to get out of the bow all the cast that was in it. No implement was spared out of respect for its age or apparent infirmity.
The methods of shooting were of two types. Mr. Compton shot with a Sioux release: all fingers and thumb on the string, the nock of the arrow steadied between the thumb and forefinger, the arrow discharged from the left of the bow. This would be classified by Morse as a tertiary type. I shot with the English release, or Mediterranean type. There was no apparent difference in the cast of the bows dependent upon these conditions.
The elevation at which each arrow was projected was approximately 45° from the horizontal. A quick release was given each upon full draw. This insures greatest velocity. The bow arm was held very rigidly, and in some instances a forward thrust was given with the bow arm at the moment of discharging the arrow, though no apparent gain accrued from this act. In measuring the flight, the greatest distance was recorded as the full capacity of each bow.
The bows tested are listed below in the order in which they appear in plates 2 to 9.